"There is this split in the APA between those who believe that practice should be guided by data and those who believe that practice should be guided by anecdote."
I've been taught and teach my students that there's no such thing as "exact science" and that the data really don't represent the individual, they represent the aggregate. Clinicians struggle with this every day. I agree that ethical clinicians should steer clear of oddities like hypno-regression, or EMDR but to say that they are relying on anecdote when they drift from strict adherence to the data, is unfair. "There are more practitioners than academics, so it really would take a wholesale exodus which is highly unlikely. What we really need is a medical model: some strong contingencies requiring scientific support for clinical practices." The medical model is rife with problems. In an effort to deal with the shortcomings of the model, it seems to me that physicians work with the data in mind but bend and flex in response to the uniqueness of each case. In the process they undoubtedly use anecdote or sheer guesswork to help their patients. If anyone is a clinician out there, and has been able to successfully work with a wide range of clients & their issues with strict adherence to the data, I'd would genuinely be interested in hearing about your experiences. Ruth Frickle Department of Psychology Highline Community College Des Moines, WA 98198-9800 (206) 878-3710 ext. 3111 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: Paul Brandon [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 7:43 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: Re: APA President-elect There is this split in the APA between those who believe that practice should be guided by data and those who believe that practice should be guided by anecdote. I'll leave it to the list members to decide which group has become dominant, but I'm letting my membership lapse. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
